HUNTINGTON BEACH

city, Orange county, southwestern California, U.S., on the Pacific coast. Originally part of the Rancho Las Bolsas and La Bolsa Chica, it was first called Shell Beach and after its subdivision (1901) was known as Pacific City. To encourage its promotion as a seaside resort, it was renamed Huntington Beach for the railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington. The discovery of oil (1919) beneath the townsite, supplemented after 1930 by production of tideland oil offshore, provided a basis for the city's industrial development. Its other major economic assets are the Douglas Aircraft Company's space centre and a large steam generating plant. Golden West (junior) College (1966) is in the city. Inc. 1909. Pop. (1993 est.) 186,948.